The monthly UBC TALKS series was launched by UBC Sustainable Cities Commission to highlight different approaches to sustainability. In January 2020, kicking-off the first webinar in the series with a talk about marine litter, we couldn't yet imagine how the relevance of online meetings would dramatically rise starting from March. As a result, UBC TALKS have become a harmonious part of the overall information-sharing trend during the pandemic. While news portals prepared latest reports on the coronavirus, and orchestras opened their concert archives, we invited experts from UBC Member Cities to discuss sustainable development practices.

Ten webinars, the recordings of which are available on our website, highlighted a variety of topics: what are the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how to integrate them into the city strategies, how to ensure sustainable and multimodal urban mobility, what can citizens do to reduce hazardous substances in water, and many others. Among the speakers at the webinars, best practices were presented by 19 cities, 16 of them UBC Members, as well as representatives of international organizations (European Commission, HELCOM, etc.) and universities in the region.

The successful webinar series, which has already attracted representatives from nearly 40 UBC cities and many more in the region to participate in the exchange of experiences and effective solutions developed in the region, will continue to inspire in 2021. The first two webinars are scheduled for spring and are open for everyone:

• 30 March 2021 9.30-11.00 CET: Cascading consequences of climate hazards – How to make UBC cities more resilient? (event page)
• 25 May 2021 9.30-11.00 CET: Water as a resource in a climate-resilient city (event page)

Check the event pages to find updated information about the webinars.